Beowulf : The Epic Hero

Slaying demons, fighting dragons. Just an ordinary life for a hero—a hero named Beowulf. Beowulf is known for battling massive and terrifying beasts with unwavering confidence. Many attribute his success to his courage and determination, but it also leads him to his untimely demise. Maybe his confidence is not an asset, but a tragic flaw, a vulnerability.

Is Beowulf, the strong and epic hero of legends, battling against a force he could not aspire to overcome? J.R.R. Tolkien, a famous scholar and writer, believes the epic hero is in a hopeless struggle; many people support the notion of Beowulf’s certain demise as well. There are parts in the legend that may lead to the impression that Beowulf may not have had the potential to conquer the aggressive world he is met with.

Beowulf is the most famous poems in old English. There are three cases/conflict Beowulf encounters, first the battle with Grendel then the battle of Grendel’s mothe and the battle with the dragon “A hero is a person, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” “Epic heroes posses qualities that mere mortals lack, the epic hero often battles for good, or accomplishes a set of tasks to complete an important goal.” This hero gets his qualities at birthright; Beowulf is the ultimate hero who put his life in danger for another kingdom. Beowulf’s heroism was seen when he takes his 14 of his men to help Hrothgar, he was Beowulf father’s closest friend. Hrothgar’s kingdom had been cursed by attacks for the last 12 years that threatened the whole kingdom.

Christopher Reeve once said “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endures in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” In other words, a hero is a normal person who is able to be strong and persevere despite difficult obstacles preventing them. In the book, Beowulf, the the nephew of the king of the land of the geats, helps Hrothgar, another king, kill a series of monsters that threaten his kingdom. He helps Hrothgar kill Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and The Firedrake. Beowulf is a hero because he is just an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite the overwhelming obstacles preventing him from doing so. Beowulf embodies Christopher Reeve’s definition of a hero because he defeated the flesh-eating Grendel, who could not be stopped even by groups of elite soldiers. Beowulf also killed Grendel’s mother, a much eviler being who lived in a cave in an endless pool of blood that led to hell. Finally, he defeated The Firedrake, who swelled up and breathed fire when angry.

In the epic hero poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf, is a prideful, boastful and extremely strong individual. He is faced with a few tasks during the course of the poem; the first of which is fighting and killing an evil, dangerous and disgusting creature, named Grendel, which terrorized the town of Herot. Soon after that, Grendel’s devious mother “the she-wolf,” attacks Beowulf and the town forcing Beowulf to fight her off as well. After the mother-son duo, Beowulf is then faced with the biggest task of his existence, both literally and figuratively. During each of these battles Beowulf fights and kills these creatures in different ways with different weapons and different tactics. He also changes during each fight, and at the end of the poem is quit a different man. How does he manage to fight each creature off and what kind of tactics did he use? Well that’s a great question, let me elaborate.

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

Beowulf was an immense poem about a courageous warrior - by the name of Beowulf. This warrior was brave and had a lot of confidence, which led him to act foolishly. Beowulf was respected by the people of Denmark and Sweden. Throughout the poem, Beowulf proved he was a hero by protecting the Geats and Danes, but also foolish with the beasts he defeated.

A hero is not born; he is self-made with heroic qualities. What qualifies for making someone a hero? According to Merriam Webster, a hero is defined as: “ a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability”. Beowulf perfectly fits that definition of a hero. In Seamus Heaney Beowulf, Beowulf has everything it takes to be known as a hero. Some of Beowulf’s vital traits as warrior includes bravery, courage, honor, incredible physical strength, and the will to serve the people for the greater good. This poem is centered around him and that is all he needs to be portrayed as the hero he is.

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”( Christopher Reeve) In 1000 A.D. a group of people were formed, these people were called the Anglo-saxons. They were also known as what people now refer to as Vikings. The Vikings were explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe. While these Anglo-saxons were raiding and trading they also had some down time, where they would sit down around a fire and tell tales of Heroic adventures. These sorts of tales were things that the Anglo-saxons would look up to, it was almost like a handbook of how they should live their lives. During these stories was created one of the earliest examples of heroism and adventure. The epic poem of Beowulf was born. While the author is to be unknown, the

Brodi Ashton wrote, “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” Beowulf is the oldest surviving poem written by an unknown author. It follows an epic hero named Beowulf that protects its people while emphasising the culture in Anglo Saxon. It shows their views on what an epic hero should be like and what their values are. The text reveals how a hero should not just be strong, but be brave and selfless, which will eventually unify their people. While these are all independent cultural and societal values, they work together to reflect a culture that puts a great deal of emphasis on Beowulf. Beowulf was the one with all of the components needed to be a hero. Beowulf is a hero who embodies the ideal characteristics

Beowulf, the main character of a poem written in 1000 AD, remains considered a hero through many situations throughout the poem by exemplifying his bravery and courage. Beowulf is a hero by always showing fearlessness, putting others safety in front of his, and also showing great strength and skill. He never backs away from a battle. His courageous character makes him an ageless hero.

Beowulf is a hero because so powerful that instead of arming of action and the movie is really amazing and we could apply to our real life and i can said that the movie is filled with adventure, romance and humor. Some of scenes are just very good to watch. Because i'm enjoyed for watching it.

In the Anglo-Saxon culture and literature, the meaning of to be a hero was to be a warrior and or a strong being. A hero also had to possess the vast characteristics of being strong, intelligent, and courageous. All warriors of Anglo-Saxon culture and literature, had to be willing to face any odds and be willing to be the underdog that chases success. Also they had to fight to the death for their glory and accept their each individual fates. The typical Anglo-Saxon hero was always able to be all of these and still be humble and very down to earth. Out of all literature Beowulf is, arguably, the best example one can use of an Anglo-Saxon hero. But, in The 13th Warrior, Ibn Fadlan (played by Antonio Banderas) similar to Beowulf, also shows many of the characteristics that come to show the qualities one needs to possess to become an Anglo-Saxon

Beowulf is an epic poem, written in the time period of the Anglo- Saxon. The Anglo-Saxon’s had similar beliefs to that of the people in the epic, so the poem gives us some idea of what the Anglo-Saxon culture was like. The people in this time period expresses their culture through an epic poem by having an epic hero encounter lots of monsters and successfully exceeds all the obstacles during their adventures. To be considered as an epic, a piece of literature has to exhibits a few specific literary techniques. Some of the predominant literary techniques needed is evidence of christianity, setting of vast in scope, and action is dramatic. One of the greatest epics of all time is Beowulf because it incorporates all of these modeled literary techniques.

A hero is defined in Merriam-Webster as a “…legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability…who shows great courage”. In order for someone to be recognized as a hero, they must demonstrate bravery and stand up for what is fair and just, even when they face conflict. Most traditional heroes are chivalrous and selfless, but in some cases, the hero desires power, fortune, and a high status, which makes him focus on his own advantages without much concern for others. During the Anglo Saxon to Medieval period in Britain, heroes changed from acting selfishly to nobly as exemplified by Beowulf and Arthur.